Yet another difficult away journey, this time to meet Hallam in Sheffield, saw Charnock Richard fall to a 3-1 defeat in the 1st Round Proper of the BuildBase FA Vase competition. A long delay to their coach on the Snake Pass due to a road accident resulted in the kick off being put back by 30 minutes. Facing almost gale force winds in the first half the Villagers took the lead and whilst coming under considerable pressure they looked relatively comfortable. The second half turned out to be very difficult for Charnock losing Schofield, yet another injury to add to the list, and conceding three goals, admittedly the last goal coming when Charnock were pushing forward looking for an equaliser.

Hallam are the second oldest football club in the world having been formed in 1860 by the local cricket club and their ground, where they have played since their formation, Sandygate Lane is recognised as the oldest football ground in the world. The pitch is on the outfield of the cricket field and has a quite slope on it. It was a fine afternoon, very warm for the time of year, but there was a strong wind blowing up the slope. The conditions made decent football difficult and the quality of the game was not great but it was fought out in a very competitive atmosphere.

Charnock were again seriously depleted by injuries and a suspension. With Ross O’Farrell ruled out after his red card the previous week and with James Walker on the bench, only fit enough to come on in an emergency, Ryan Schofield started at the back alongside Jack Sanders and Troy Carsley moved to left back. Nathan Fairhurst was fit again and was in midfield but Mark Woods was on holiday. On the bench was the welcome sight of Spencer Bibby, along with Jon Hession and Mark Adams; Jake Higham completed the five substitutes.

Spending over three hours on a coach for a journey that should have been 1.5 hours was far from an ideal way for the players to prepare for the match. However, the referee agreed to put the kick-off back to 3.30pm which gave the players about 40 minutes to warm up.

With no fixtures in the Premier League or Championship because of international matches, Saturday was declared a non-league day and the football supporters in Sheffield certainly responded pouring into the ground and the official attendance was 403.

Charnock won the toss and decided to play down the slope against the almost gale force wind so Hallam kicked off. Particularly in the early minutes but for most of the first half the home side took advantage of the wind and Charnock’s somewhat makeshift defence was under pressure. It was one of those days when a powerful kick into the wind rises and stalls before blowing back on itself so clearing the half way line with a goal kick is almost impossible. From the kick-off Hallam showed that they would not hesitate in hitting the ball forward and Adam Halton in goal was soon into action. With the assistance of the wind every free kick for Hallam in the Charnock half threatened danger and with a player who had the ability to reach the penalty spot from throw-ins, the Charnock defence had to be at its best. Apart from a few scrambles in the area Charnock coped well and the home forwards lacked accuracy when presented with shooting opportunities. Particularly in the early minutes Charnock excursions into the home penalty area were scarce but against the run of play the Villagers took the lead on 20 minutes, Joe Noblet hit a great pass from the back and OLIVER OXLEY surged forward, held off two defenders to plant a shot into the far corner of the net. The goal boosted Charnock and they became more of a threat as the half progressed. The conditions continued to dominate and Charnock struggled to put together any semblance of their normal passing game but they created several chances. The final ten minutes of the half saw Charnock on top with, on one occasion, Sanders, Schofield and Grimshaw all having shots blocked. Sneath in the home goal made an important save and there was a strong case for a penalty for hand ball. The half finished with Charnock having protected their lead and having shown some solid defending.

Kicking up-hill but with the wind at their backs it was expected that Charnock would have an easier ride in the second half but circumstances changed, the wind moderated somewhat and Hallam stepped up their game particularly in the final half hour. Charnock continued to struggle to produce their normal standard of football. A failure to get the ball down and some inaccurate passing resulted in Hallam taking the initiative and, as the game progressed, gaining confidence. Watson turned a right wing centre narrowly past the post before Schofield went down injured with no-one near him. After 57 minutes Jake Higham replaced him with Troy Carsley moving to centre back. If there was a turning point in the game it came on 59 minutes, Danny Regan delivered a diagonal cross into the box Oxley produced an excellent volley but it was almost straight at Sneath in the home goal and he pushed the ball away. One could only speculate that if Charnock had have taken a two goal lead at this point the home side would have struggled to come back. Halton immediately preserved the Villagers’ lead by racing out of his area to clear a through ball. Watson headed wide a cross from the right and Higham had to produce a last ditch tackle to whip the ball off an opponent’s toe in the area. One could sense that the game was now moving in favour of the home team and they equalised in the 62nd minute. Some sloppy defending allowed Watson to run clear into the area and his shot was neatly placed into the top corner of the net. Charnock had a chance to retake the lead when a defensive error saw Oxley break on the right, he pulled the ball back to Grimshaw but his shot lacked power and Sneath saved easily. Spencer Bibby came on for Darcy after 64 minutes and then Mark Adams replaced Regan. With Hallam encouraged by the large crowd it was obvious that Charnock were going to struggle to stay in the game and the home team took the lead on 74 minutes. The impressive left back Niall Smith picked the ball up in his own half went past Bibby and delivered a cross to the near post and Sam Smith nipped in front of Halton to turn the ball into the net. It was always going to be difficult for the Villagers from this point, all their composure and solid defending shown in the first half had largely disappeared and although they made a spirited response they failed to threaten a goal which would have taken the tie into extra time. In the 88th minute with, understandably, Charnock committed to attack Reece Treasure raced clear down the right, Halton came out to close him down but the substitute hit a fine shot from a narrow angle into the net. The tie was lost and Charnock’s involvement in this competition was over for this season and any dreams of playing at Wembley well and truly evaporated. After travelling something like 670 miles in three FA Vase games this season, who knows next season, we might even be drawn at home in the competition.

On Wednesday 17th October Charnock travel to Litherland REMYCA for a re-arranged league fixture, kick-off is 7.45pm. Saturday 20th October sees Charnock at home to Runcorn Town in Round 1 of the Macron Cup kick-off 3.00pm.